Big Brother 10 FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions)                       Home

Before you e-mail us, please read through the questions below: (Updated early June 2009)

PLEASE NOTE: This is an OLD page which will no longer be updated.

To read the latest FAQ's, please go to our HOME page by clicking the link to the right-hand-side of this page. Here, you will find a link to the latest version of our Frequently Asked Questions, plus a link to the latest News and Polls etc. The news link to the right of this particular page is now out-of-date.

1. I can't seem to get the red button live feed this year; what's happened to it?

Hmm, talk about a can of worms!

To cut a long story short, Channel 4 have scrapped the interactive live feed and also the live E4 daytime coverage of the show, which is now only available after 11pm at night. This has proven a highly controversial move, said to have been a bid to save a £million in costs. See this article from mid-June about the 'death threats' that arose because of C4's decision.

The UK series of Big Brother 10 ends on Friday the 4th of September 2009.

3. I missed the auditions for Big Brother 10/ I auditioned but didn't get through/ I note that a housemate has now quit the show... so what are the chances of me getting into the Big Brother House this summer?

Absolutely none. Zero. Zilch. Please read this article, which was published a few weeks before Big Brother 10 began.

4. Okay, so how do I apply for Big Brother 11 next summer?

Please read the article mentioned in FAQ No. 3 above.

5. Actually, will there definitely be any more series of Big Brother UK?

As you know, the 10th Anniversary series is currently taking place and we expect there to be at least one more series next year. We've been saying for some time that the show will continue as long as fans still want to watch it, and BB big cheese Phil Edgar-Jones re-iterated that point in this article from early June 2009.

It's entirely feasible that BB11 could be the last series though.

6. How can I get tickets to attend one of the weekly evictions during Big Brother 10?

That's nothing to do with us; you need to contact a company called Applause Store. Look them up on Google.

7. I can't remember who won the last few series of Big Brother in the UK; can you remind me please?

No problem: the most recent series – the short-format Celebrity Big Brother 6 in January 2009 – was won by former weather girl Ulrika Jonsson. TV presenter and former 'The Word' host Terry Christian came second.

Last summer's Big Brother 9 ran for 13 weeks from the 5th of June to the 5th of September 2008. The series was won by trainee teacher Rachel Rice and the runner-up was blind radio producer Michael 'Mikey' Hughes.

January 2008's short-format Celebrity Hijack – featuring 'talented youngsters' – was won by a Scottish wannabe politician called John Loughton. Don't worry if you've never heard of that series though because it was shown on E4 only and consequently received a relatively small audience. It replaced Celebrity Big Brother due to all the controversy from the previous year.

The previous year's main series – Big Brother 8 – ran for 13 weeks, beginning on the 30th of May 2007 and ending on the 31st of August 2007. It was won by dippy data clerk Brian Belo, with harmless-but-dizzy twins Sam and Amanda Marchant coming Second in something of a shock result (press and bookies were convinced the dizzy duo would win).

January 2007's short-format Celebrity Big Brother 5 series was won by Indian actress Shilpa Shetty. That series made headlines around the world due to the huge race row which erupted when Jade Goody, Danielle Lloyd and Jo O'Meara began bullying Shilpa.

Big Brother 7 – the first series to run for 13 weeks – began on the 18th of May 2006 and ended on Friday the 18th of August 2006, when Pete Bennett was crowned the Winner. The Tourettes sufferer beat 21 other contestants including scrawny student Glyn Wise, who came Second.

The 6th series of the show, which ran for 11 weeks (previous series were 9 and 10 weeks long), began on the 27th of May 2005 and ended on the 12th of August 2005. There were a total of 16 housemates during Big Brother 6 and disco-dancing Geordie Anthony Hutton was the eventual Winner, beating certified geek Eugene Sully to the remainder of the prize money.

We've been meaning to properly archive our stories from all the previous series for a while now, and also publish a chart detailing everyone who's ever taken part in the show. Keep an eye out here/ on our Home page for links to that.

8. Where is the Big Brother House located and are they ever going to build a new one, as-per the rumours?

The current house, the second one used for BB in the UK, is built in the grounds of the world-famous Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. The original house, located in Bow, London, was knocked down when programme-makers Endemol couldn't get planning permission for it to remain in use.

It has been rumoured for years that a new (third) house will be built at some point, mainly because the current one causes problems for people living in the nearby residential area i.e. the noise, the crowds of people/ kids hanging around etc.

Actually, the current house cost around £500,000 to build so it's unlikely that they'll knock it down on a whim, but it always receives an extensive and costly makeover for each new series. If the Top Bods ever get around to building a new one, we'll be sure to tell you in our Latest News section.

9. Will there be a DVD released of Big Brother 10? Also, I can't find any DVDs of Big Brother series 5 to 9, or the six series of Celebrity Big Brother. Did they produce them?

The first four series of the show had an Official DVD and Video released, but there wasn't a DVD release for BB5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 (notwithstanding the very limited one covering Big Brother 6 that came with Paul Flynn's book, 'Big Brother Access All Areas').

Part of the reason, in our opinion, is that Big Brother 4 (aka 'the series we don't speak of') was a bit rubbish and forgettable. Consequently, sales of the DVD and video weren't great, and when Big Brother 5 featured a highly-controversial 'Fight Night' the following year it rather quashed any notion that another DVD might be released.

To be frank, we don't think Channel 4 will ever release any more BB DVDs, although it's a shame they don't do another one covering all the best moments from over the years – perhaps they'll have a change of heart and release something following the 10th Anniversary series this summer? Anyway, it's highly unlikely that a DVD covering any of the Celebrity Big Brother series will ever be produced, mainly due to the nature of the contracts signed by the celebrities.

FYI, we wrote this story some years ago about a free DVD covering Big Brother 5 (sans fight scenes) which was produced in conjunction with The Sun newspaper. However, we don't have any of them so we DEFINITELY can't send you one, even if you ask nicely! They do come up for sale on Ebay every so often though, as do the Official DVDs covering the first four series of Big Brother UK.

10. Where can I buy an item of clothing or jewellery that I've seen a particular housemate/ Davina McCall wearing during a series? Also, where can I buy the House furniture?

Sorry, but we have no idea where the housemates or BB host Davina shop, so we can't help you.

That said, some of the housemates' clothes are supplied to Channel 4 by certain companies before they enter the House. Indeed, some-such companies choose to advertise with us during Big Brother, or we attract advertisers who sell very similar products and want to tell the public about them. So, be sure to pay attention to the adverts appearing on this website when the show is on-air.

The same goes for the suppliers of furniture used both inside and outside of the Big Brother House. Again, look-out for any relevant advertising on the BBO website. In fact, during Big Brother 10 we may turn our (frankly languishing) 'Shop' section into a kind-of directory for suppliers.

Therefore, we invite all official suppliers to get in touch if they'd like to directly promote their goods/ company/ services to a substantial number of Big Brother fans this summer.

11. Will there be another series of (Teen) Big Brother featuring teenage contestants? If so, can I apply to be on it?

Almost certainly not. There has been just one series of Teen Big Brother (in 2003), which lasted for ten days and was won by a young guy called Paul. At one point we thought there might be a second series of this experimental show, however that's extremely unlikely now.

So, unless you're 18 or over when the next series of Big Brother starts, you won't be entering the Big Brother House any time soon. Sorry! Should that situation change we'll be sure to detail it in our Latest News section.

In the meantime, please don't write-in asking us how to apply, or even suggest the idea or concept of a Big Brother show featuring just teenagers, a mixture of teenagers and adults, or one with pre-teens as contestants (a similar show was made once and the kids completely wrecked the 'gaff!)

FYI, Endemol's Big Brother concept remains, as always, aimed at an adult audience.

12. Can you pass a message on to one of the ex-Big Brother contestants for me, or tell me how to contact them? If not, could you send me a signed photo instead?

Nope. Sorry, but we genuinely can't help you with such queries.

The ex-housemates are often quite difficult for even the media to get hold of, sometimes because they want to slip into obscurity when the show ends. Also, some of their respective agents can be tricky to deal-with. For that reason, we gave-up trying years ago, even though we regularly receive details of proposals which could provide the former housemates with paid work. Hey ho.

Anyway, please don't write and ask us to help you contact the ex-housemates, or to forward-on your letters of support/ ideas/ marriage proposals etc. Soz, but it ain't gonna happen!

13. I'm a huge Big Brother fan; can I come and work either full-time or part-time on the show? What about helping-out as part of my Work Experience?

It's probably not feasible to be honest, as the programme makers usually give contracts to experienced producer/ engineer/ editorial type people, not just fans of the show. However, you would need to contact Endemol with such queries, as the making of the actual show is nothing to do with us here at Big Brother Online.

14. Is it okay to e-mail you and let you know about errors on the BBO website? Can I also make some suggestions for improvements to the site?

Of course you can. It's really helpful when people write and let us know about technical problems or grammatical/ spelling errors within the site, although they're rare... or so we like to think!

With regard to suggestions about the BBO website in general, go ahead. However, to be brutally frank, after 9 series and with a busy (non-BB) workload all-year-round, we literally don't have time to entertain blatant criticism just for the sake of it.

Don't be put-off though, as we might finally get around to redesigning the site at some point, perhaps even during Big Brother 10. So, feel free to let us know how we can improve the navigation and look etc. Of course, we can't guarantee to include your suggestions.

The FAQ section will change as we receive more of the same questions during Big Brother 10 in the summer of 2009. Please check back every now-and-then.

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